How to Grow Amaryllis Indoors

What do Poinsettias, Prepared Hyacinths, Paperwhite Daffodils and Amaryllis have in common? They are all great ways to decorate your home for the Holidays.

Amaryllis flowers come from a bulb, originally native to South America. In warmer climates, hardiness zones 9-11, they are a tender perennial. They will not survive outdoors in our area. They’re known by their botanical name Hippeastrum, which is derived from the Greek words for horse and star. In fact, in the Greek language, Amaryllis means ‘to sparkle’. Sparkle they do! In nature, they bloom outdoors in Spring and Summer, but we prepare them to bloom indoors for you, for the holidays.

They are low maintenance, easy to grow indoors and provide extremely attractive and reliable blooms. Amaryllis are extremely long lived. It can take up to 6 years for an immature bulb to reach flowering age and the bulb itself can live for up to 75 years. The older and larger the bulb, the more flowers it can produce. All of our bulbs are ready and able to bloom for you!

Flowers are predominantly available in shades of red, white, pink or orange. There are also unique varieties with stripes and or multiple colours. In fact, there are over 600 named, recognized varieties most of which are grown in Holland or South Africa and imported to Canada for the Holidays.

How To Grow Amaryllis

Newly purchased Amaryllis bulbs are usually extremely dry and benefit from soaking the roots in lukewarm water for a couple of hours. Afterwards, shake off the excess water and prepare your planting pot. The pot should be fairly heavy to prevent the tall stems from tipping over. A pot 1-2 inches wider than the bulb on all sides is ideal. We recommend using a lighter potting soil like Pro-Mix to allow for good drainage. Don’t use soil from the garden as it may have poor drainage or contain pests or disease. We recommend using fresh potting soil each year.

Also make sure the pot has a decent drainage hole. The bulbs will rot if left to sit in water. Spread the roots of the bulb into the soil and plant it pointy-side up with soil up to its neck. Pat down the soil firmly to set the bulb in place. 1/3 of the bulb should be visible above the soil

Position the bulb in a warm place in bright sunlight. Water occasionally until the stems and foliage appear. Water more regularly as the stem elongates and the flower bud begins to form. Turn the pot occasionally to keep the stem straight and strong. Taller varieties will benefit from a stake or a decorative Amaryllis support.

Flowers will develop when the stem is fully grown. This usually takes 6-8 weeks from planting. For Christmas blooms, this means potting up your Amaryllis blooms in late October through November depending on the variety.

Amaryllis flowers dislike intense sunlight. To prolong the blooms, keep the blooms out of direct sunlight. Bright, indirect light is best

Amaryllis Care

Amaryllis are long lasting bulbs and can be made to rebloom the next year.

Once the flowers have finished blooming, cut away the spent blooms. Once the foliage begins to sag, cut it back 1-2 inches from the top of the bulb. Feed and water regularly. Once all chance of frost has passed, you can move your bulbs outdoors. Allow the leaves to fully develop and grow. As it does, it stores energy in the bulb which will also enlarge over the season. The bulbs will also reproduce by creating smaller bulbs called ‘offsets’ that can be separated from the mother bulb. These may take up to 6 years to reach a flowering size. Larger bulbs are also capable of producing more flowers so there is a benefit to keeping your Amaryllis going year after year.

In mid summer, reduce the amount of water the plant receives. Continue to reduce the watering and allow the soil to dry out completely by late Summer. By early Fall, the bulb will go dormant and the leaves will turn yellow. Cut the foliage back to about 2 inches from the top of the bulb. Remove the bulb from the soil and clean it gently so the roots do not get damaged. Store the bulb in a cool, frost free location. Someplace where the temperature stays between 4-10 degrees Celsius is good. If you’re going to use a refrigerator, do not store it near apples, as they give off a gas that can sterilize the bulb. Keep the bulb cool for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. At that point, you should be able to pot the bulb into fresh soil and enjoy the blooms again for the Holidays.

What's With The Waxed Amaryllis?

The hottest indoor holiday plant these days are Waxed Amaryllis. No muss, no fuss, just beautiful blooms. Everything the plant needs to grow is in the bulb itself. Simply put the bulb in a decorative display and enjoy until after it flowers.

2017 Amaryllis Varieties

We carry a fantastic variety of Amaryllis bulbs that are available instore or online in our webstore

A few varieties are already sold out and limited quantities are available on others. Hurry in for the best selection!

Amaryllis, or Hippeastrum are flowering bulbs from the subtropics of Central and Southern America. In their native climates, they are spring flowering perennials, but in our northern latitudes, they are an extremely popular winter flowering indoor plant. Once planted, they will often burst into bloom in 5-7 weeks. Therefore, if you plant them now in early November, you can get them to show their colours just in time for Christmas!

Amaryllis foliage is green and strap-like. Once the bulb is planted, flower stalks begin to grow and bloom to produce large flowers in shades of white, pink, red, green and various combinations thereof. There are also varieties with striped and multi-colours. Larger bulbs produce more flowers so choose your bulbs carefully! There is a reason the big-box stores sell cheap Amaryllis, they are small bulbs.

How To Grow Amaryllis

To grow Amaryllis, place the bottom part of the bulb and the roots into luke-warm water for a few hours to help it rehydrate. Plant the bulb in an indoor pot 4-6 weeks prior to the desired bloom time. Press the soil down firmly around the bulb, but avoid damaging the roots. When planting, keep at least 1/3 of the bulb above the soil level. If you can see the neck of the bulb above the soil, you know you are in good shape! Once planted, leave them alone as they mildly resent root disturbance. The best location for an Amaryllis is bright and warm, and completely frost free. Water sparingly until the stem appears. When actively growing, they are heavy feeders and drinkers so increase the amount of water and fertilizer as needed. Although it is a bulb, a light application of a flowering plant fertilizer will improve flower production. Choose any fertilizer with a high middle number.

Amaryllis Care

After flowering, cut off the spent blooms and when the stem begins to sag, cut off the foliage to the top of the bulb. Continue to water and feed in order to allow the leaves to fully develop. This allows the plant to store more nutrients in the bulb during the warm season. When the leaves begin to yellow, the plant is entering its dormant state. At this point, cut off the leaves and remove the bulb from the soil. Clean the bulb and store in a cool, frost-free dry location. Do not water or feed during this stage. Store the bulb for 6-8 weeks. At this point, you can replant and enjoy your Amaryllis next year!

2014 Amaryllis Varieties

This year we are featuring nearly a dozen different varieties of Amaryllis in-store and online. A few have already sold out, but here are 9 of the ones still available (as of November 13, 2014)

Drop by Arts Nursery in person to get yours, or shop for Amaryllis online and we'll have it delivered to you! Quantities of Amaryllis, especially the newer varieties are usually limited so order yours early! They are usually in-stock from late October through December.

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Art's Nursery is a 10+ acre retail and wholesale garden centre located in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We've been in business at this same location since 1973 and we're proud to serve you today!

We carry an incredible selection of plants, shrubs, trees, annuals, perennials, vines, groundcovers, roses and much more. Soils, bulk materials, pottery and a variety of garden accents are also available.

Our plant selection is so large that you can actually drive a golf cart while you shop!

We pride ourselves on providing high quality plant, expert advice and an exceptional gardening experience.